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| VANCOUVER
ISLAND (REGION 1): FOCUS WATERSHEDS Campbell River | Quinsam River | Oyster River |    |
| CAMPBELL RIVER WATERSHED | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Campbell River Watershed Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Estimated Steelhead Habitat Smolt Capacity & Returning Adults (assuming 13% marine survival)
HABITAT RESTORATION TO DATE
STEELHEAD OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
IDENTIFIED RECOVERY OPTIONS
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| Campbell River Watershed Habitat Restoration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Since 1991, there has been a significant effort to restore productive fish habitat in the mainstem Campbell River, downstream of BC Hydro's John Hart Generating Station (JHT). This work has had three primary objectives including: (1) replenishment of quality spawning gravel (restoration site 1 on watershed map); (2) improvements to rearing habitat through flow modifications and side-channel development (restoration site 2 on watershed map); and (3) restoration of the estuary following decades of industrial abuse. Much of this work was predicated on the biophysical assessment of the Campbell River by Burt and Burns (1995), and a "Campbell River Interim Flow Management Strategy" prepared by the Campbell River Hydro/Fisheries Advisory Committee (1997). It is expected this work will continue, where needed, and be based on the funding partnerships* established over the past several years. Regional MWLAP staff have also argued successfully for a interim fisheries maintenance flow in the Elk Falls canyon reach of the Campbell, upstream of JHT. Under existing BC Hydro water licences, only so-called "leakage" under the spill-gate at John Hart Dam passes through this 2 km section. Consequently, wild fish production faces a major constraint without improvements to the flow regime. Currently, an informal agreement between BC Hydro and the two fisheries agencies results in a fish conservation release of 3.5cms (123cfs) from the John Hart reservoir. This flow issue will continue to be a high priority for resolution during development of the Campbell River WUP. In addition, spawning gravel placements by helicopter in the Elk Falls canyon in 1999 and 2002 have partly restored habitat lost through a combination of scouring floods and limited gravel recruitment since dam construction in the late 1950s. In contrast to the Campbell River, to date there has been little attention focussed on the Quinsam River and potential for habitat restoration projects. A comprehensive biophysical inventory of the watershed, conducted under the WUP, will help to identify the scope and nature of restoration projects in the Quinsam (particularly upstream of the federal hatchery site). This will include a review of flow-related constraints downstream of BC Hydro's diversion dam above Middle Quinsam Lake. One possible limitation to a wide-ranging habitat restoration program could involve the extensive private ownership of land by major forest companies. Their close cooperation will be required for access and development of specific restoration "works." An assessment of potential fish habitat restoration projects in five Vancouver Island watersheds, including Quinsam, was completed in 2001 (Gaboury and McCulloch 2002). This report will help direct future restoration activities in the lower Quinsam watershed (restoration reach 3 on watershed map). In-stream work prescribed in the report focuses on increasing habitat now limiting to steelhead carrying capacity, and mitigates for habitat impacted in past forest harvesting practices. A total of 57 sites in the lower Quinsam watershed were identified for habitat restoration. Reports and Media: Campbell
River Mirror, July 31, 2002.
* A committee of key stakeholders in the Campbell River system, including MELP, Ministry of Fisheries, DFO, BC Hydro and the Campbell River community. The committee was established in January 1996, to address flood damage to the Second Island Sidechannel and changes to BC Hydro's water management to protect fish habitat in future.
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| Campbell River Watershed Habitat Protection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There are three major habitat protection concerns on the Campbell-Quinsam system for steelhead. The first involves ongoing habitat impacts related to logging on Private Managed Forest Land in the Quinsam watershed. Since Forest Practices Code regulations do not apply to private land, there is little incentive for forest companies to increase fish habitat protection at the expense of profitability, particularly during a time of severe economic hardship in the province's coastal forest industry. The second involves BC Hydro's regulation of flows in both rivers. While some progress has been made in recent years to restore more "fish friendly" flows in the Campbell, a completely "naturalized" hydrograph has not been achieved. In part, this relates to creation of a "flood buffer" on the largest reservoir (i.e., Upper Campbell or Strathcona) by mid-October, in order to reduce the risk of large spills during the early winter period. More work on Campbell and Quinsam river flow issues will be undertaken as part of the WUP process. The third habitat protection concern relates to Quinsam Coal's operations in the upper Quinsam watershed. Mine waste water and runoff is captured in settling basins behind artificial berms. Natural seismic events or even human error might result in accidental spills of contaminated water, endangering downstream fish populations if not quickly controlled. The abandoned Argonaut Mine above Upper Quinsam Lake also has "pockets" of trapped surface water which should be monitored. The prospect of resumed mining activity at this site will need to be evaluated in terms of waste water containment and effects on downstream water quality. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Campbell River Watershed Adult Assessment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Campbell River Watershed Juvenile Assessment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Campbell River Watershed Map | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| QUINSAM RIVER WATERSHED | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quinsam River Watershed Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Estimated Steelhead Habitat Smolt Capacity & Returning Adults (assuming 13% marine survival)
HABITAT RESTORATION TO DATE
SPECIAL HABITAT PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS.
STEELHEAD OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
IDENTIFIED RECOVERY OPTIONS
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| Quinsam River Watershed Habitat Restoration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Since 1991, there has been a significant effort to restore productive fish habitat in the mainstem Campbell River, downstream of BC Hydro's John Hart Generating Station (JHT). This work has had three primary objectives including: (1) replenishment of quality spawning gravel (restoration site 1 on watershed map); (2) improvements to rearing habitat through flow modifications and side-channel development (restoration site 2 on watershed map); and (3) restoration of the estuary following decades of industrial abuse. Much of this work was predicated on the biophysical assessment of the Campbell River by Burt and Burns (1995), and a "Campbell River Interim Flow Management Strategy" prepared by the Campbell River Hydro/Fisheries Advisory Committee (1997). It is expected this work will continue, where needed, and be based on the funding partnerships* established over the past several years. Regional MWLAP staff have also argued successfully for a interim fisheries maintenance flow in the Elk Falls canyon reach of the Campbell, upstream of JHT. Under existing BC Hydro water licences, only so-called "leakage" under the spill-gate at John Hart Dam passes through this 2 km section. Consequently, wild fish production faces a major constraint without improvements to the flow regime. Currently, an informal agreement between BC Hydro and the two fisheries agencies results in a fish conservation release of 3.5cms (123cfs) from the John Hart reservoir. This flow issue will continue to be a high priority for resolution during development of the Campbell River WUP. In addition, spawning gravel placements by helicopter in the Elk Falls canyon in 1999 and 2002 have partly restored habitat lost through a combination of scouring floods and limited gravel recruitment since dam construction in the late 1950s. In contrast to the Campbell River, to date there has been little attention focussed on the Quinsam River and potential for habitat restoration projects. A comprehensive biophysical inventory of the watershed, conducted under the WUP, will help to identify the scope and nature of restoration projects in the Quinsam (particularly upstream of the federal hatchery site). This will include a review of flow-related constraints downstream of BC Hydro's diversion dam above Middle Quinsam Lake. One possible limitation to a wide-ranging habitat restoration program could involve the extensive private ownership of land by major forest companies. Their close cooperation will be required for access and development of specific restoration "works." An assessment of potential fish habitat restoration projects in five Vancouver Island watersheds, including Quinsam, was completed in 2001 (Gaboury and McCulloch 2002). This report will help direct future restoration activities in the lower Quinsam watershed (restoration reach 3 on watershed map). In-stream work prescribed in the report focuses on increasing habitat now limiting to steelhead carrying capacity, and mitigates for habitat impacted in past forest harvesting practices. A total of 57 sites in the lower Quinsam watershed were identified for habitat restoration. * A committee of key stakeholders in the Campbell River system, including MELP, Ministry of Fisheries, DFO, BC Hydro and the Campbell River community. The committee was established in January 1996, to address flood damage to the Second Island Sidechannel and changes to BC Hydro's water management to protect fish habitat in future. Reports:
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| Quinsam River Watershed Habitat Protection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There are three major habitat protection concerns on the Campbell-Quinsam system for steelhead. The first involves ongoing habitat impacts related to logging on Private Managed Forest Land in the Quinsam watershed. Since Forest Practices Code regulations do not apply to private land, there is little incentive for forest companies to increase fish habitat protection at the expense of profitability, particularly during a time of severe economic hardship in the province's coastal forest industry. The second involves BC Hydro's regulation of flows in both rivers. While some progress has been made in recent years to restore more "fish friendly" flows in the Campbell, a completely "naturalized" hydrograph has not been achieved. In part, this relates to creation of a "flood buffer" on the largest reservoir (i.e., Upper Campbell or Strathcona) by mid-October, in order to reduce the risk of large spills during the early winter period. More work on Campbell and Quinsam river flow issues will be undertaken as part of the WUP process. The third habitat protection concern relates to Quinsam Coal's operations in the upper Quinsam watershed. Mine waste water and runoff is captured in settling basins behind artificial berms. Natural seismic events or even human error might result in accidental spills of contaminated water, endangering downstream fish populations if not quickly controlled. The abandoned Argonaut Mine above Upper Quinsam Lake also has "pockets" of trapped surface water which should be monitored. The prospect of resumed mining activity at this site will need to be evaluated in terms of waste water containment and effects on downstream water quality. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quinsam River Watershed Adult Assessment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Snorkel survey counts should only be treated as a relative index of stock abundance.
Snorkel survey counts should only be treated as a relative index of stock abundance.
Media: Campbell
River Mirror, April 6, 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quinsam River Watershed Juvenile Assessment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Quinsam River Watershed Living Gene Bank | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In response to the 1990s steelhead conservation crisis on the east coast of Vancouver Island, the province's Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection developed an experimental Living Gene Bank program (LGB) at the Vancouver Island Trout Hatchery in Duncan in 1998. The LGB includes three winter steelhead stocks from the Keogh, Quinsam and Little Qualicum rivers. These stocks were selected based on: 1) potential for rebuilding a self-sustaining wild population; 2) opportunity to critically evaluate success, and c) geographic location within the region where steelhead stocks were most at risk. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quinsam River Watershed Map | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| OYSTER RIVER WATERSHED | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oyster River Watershed Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Estimated Steelhead Habitat Smolt Capacity & Returning Adults (assuming 13% marine survival)
HABITAT RESTORATION TO DATE:
SPECIAL HABITAT PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS:
STEELHEAD OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
IDENTIFIED RECOVERY OPTIONS
NOTES: Active community hatchery and side channel facility in watershed with many dedicated volunteers; has received annual support from DFO since its inception (early 1980s.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oyster River Watershed Habitat Restoration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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To date, there has been no directed steelhead habitat improvement projects in the Oyster River watershed. DFO has taken a lead role in developing side-channels (restoration site 2 on watershed map) with controlled flow (four now constructed), and in improving salmon passage conditions in some tributaries (e.g., Woodhus Creek). Undoubtedly some or all of this work has benefited steelhead. While the search for specific steelhead habitat improvements could be facilitated by an up-dated biophysical study, it is likely that stream enrichment would be most beneficial to juvenile steelhead. The approval of the multi-stakeholder Oyster River Management Committee would be essential before commencing with inorganic nutrient enrichment, due to a history of water quality concerns in this watershed. Should an inorganic fertilizer not be acceptable to the committee or public health officials, then widespread use of spawned salmon carcasses from the Oyster River Enhancement Society's hatchery should be encouraged. These would be particularly useful if placed in side-channels where controlled flows would help in their retention through the decomposing process. Alternatively, provincial fisheries research staff are now experimenting with a new organic fertilizer (briquettes of marine pollack waste from Alaskan processing plants) which might prove more acceptable. This product would have to be proven disease and contaminant free based on extensive testing by the province. In addition to the nutrient enrichment option, a recent assessment of fish habitat restoration potential in five east coast Vancouver Island watersheds included the Oyster River (Gaboury and McCulloch 2002). A total of 77 restoration sites were identified on the Oyster mainstem, and its tributary, the Little Oyster River (restoration reach 1 on watershed map). Funding has not yet been found to undertake this work. Reports:
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| Oyster River Watershed Habitat Protection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There are a number of key issues related to steelhead habitat protection in the Oyster River watershed. Of greatest concern is forest harvesting on private lands owned by TimberWest Forest Ltd., and Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd., comprising about 80% of the total watershed area. In 1990, the Campbell River and Comox Valley branches of the Steelhead Society of BC contracted Ronald J. Frank Ltd. (Registered Professional Forester) to "assess the cumulative effects of timber harvesting in the Oyster River drainage on the hydrology/ streamflow/fisheries resource." This was to lead to a series of recommendations by the Steelhead Society for future forest management and site mitigation (Ronald J. Frank Ltd. 1991). One of the key findings of this report was that continuos clear-cutting particularly at higher elevations, was altering the microclimate for forest regeneration, accelerating the peak runoff during "rain-on-snow" events, and reducing late summer low flows through earlier snow melt. Consequently, the author recommended that alternate forms of forest harvesting be undertaken, including smaller and more dispersed patch clear-cutting in old-growth areas, as well as selective and other harvesting systems in future second-growth stands. He also recommended that all harvesting practices on private land at least conform to standards of the Coastal Fisheries-Forestry Guidelines (pre-Forest Practices Code), and Ministry of Forests standards for road construction and maintenance on Crown land. While the Oyster River Management Committee may provide some oversight to current logging practices, there is very little government scrutiny or control of harvesting practices, rate of cut, reforestation programs and the like. Consequently, it is recommended that MWLAP and Ministry of Forests staff undertake an audit of logging operations and environmental impacts on private forest land in the Oyster River watershed. A second (and related) concern is focussed on the river's water quantity and quality, particularly with respect to future water resource development in the basin. In 1988, the provincial Ministry of Environment (now MWLAP) released the "Oyster River Water Management Plan" which made 21 recommendations pertaining to streamflow measurements, groundwater assessment/development, fish production, water quality assessment, waste management, water allocation policy, storage, flood control, and water management legislation and policy. MWLAP staff (fisheries, pollution prevention and water management), in cooperation with the Oyster River Management Committee, should undertake a status review of the plan's implementation to chart progress, as well as identify persistent obstacles to improved water management on the river. Ideally such a report would be available coincident with the release of a forest practices audit for private land in the Oyster watershed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oyster River Watershed Adult Assessment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Oyster River Watershed Juvenile Assessment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Oyster River Watershed Map | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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©
BC Conservation Foundation 2003-2006
3-1200
Princess Royal Avenue • Nanaimo • BC V9S 3Z7
Tel. 250.716.8776 •
Fax 250.716.2167
www.steelheadrecoveryplan.ca
• info@steelheadrecoveryplan.ca